High Mass Production Research Articles

Folding 2D Structures into 3D Configurations at the Micro/Nanoscale: Principles, Techniques, and Applications.

Compared to their 2D counterparts, 3D micro/nanostructures show larger degrees of freedom and richer functionalities; thus, they have attracted increasing attention in the past decades. Moreover, extensive applications of 3D micro/nanostructures are demonstrated in the fields of mechanics, biomedicine, optics, etc., with great advantages. However, the mainstream micro/nanofabrication technologies are planar ones; therefore, they cannot be used directly for the construction of 3D micro/nanostructures, making 3D fabrication at the micro/nanoscale a great challenge. A promising strategy to overcome this is to combine the state-of-the-art planar fabrication techniques with the folding method to produce 3D structures. In this strategy, 2D components can be easily produced by traditional planar techniques, and then, 3D structures are constructed by folding each 2D component to specific orientations. In this way, not only will the advantages of existing planar techniques, such as high precision, programmable patterning, and mass production, be preserved, but the fabrication capability will also be greatly expanded without complex and expensive equipment modification/development. The goal here is to highlight the recent progress of the folding method from the perspective of principles, techniques, and applications, as well as to discuss the existing challenges and future prospectives.

Soil Fertility Characteristics and Organic Carbon Stock in Soils of Vegetable Gardens Compared with Surrounding Arable Land at the Center of the Urban and Industrial Area of Ruhr, Germany

Soil fertility is the basis for production of high green mass, which has numerous essential benefits in urban areas. This study aimed to investigate the soil fertility of urban land. This was done by comparing soils from a vegetable garden and its surrounding arable land. A local brickwork dump was included. The soils were Hortisols, slightly stagnogleyic Luvisols, and a Regosol from sandy loamy silt. The location of the study was in the center of one of the world’s largest urban, hard-coal mining and heavy industry areas, the Ruhr area in Germany. The investigations for identifying the characteristic features of the soil fertility involved determination of the profile horizons, texture, pH, bulk density, C/N ratio, content and stocks of organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, and soil water by field capacity. As they are expected to become construction land, the sites were already in a derelict state. The results show that all three soil types had high fertility characteristics. However, the fertility of the garden soils was much greater than that of the local arable land. This was due to the strong and deep accumulation of organic carbon due to compost application. The available phosphorus and potassium contents and field capacity were also distinctly increased in the garden soils. The spatial distribution and distribution with depth of pH, bulk density, organic carbon, nitrogen, available phosphorus, and potassium were extremely heterogeneous among the individual garden soils. In contrast, in the arable land, they were uniform. The organic carbon accumulation in the dump was in the range of that of the garden soils, but the nutrient contents were lower. These results show that the diversity of properties of urban soils is much higher than that of arable soils. The dereliction of arable, garden, and dump soil and vegetation by bushes and trees also affect the soil properties. There should be greater awareness of the high fertility of urban soils, such as vegetable garden soils. Vegetable garden soils have a high potential for contributing to solving urban problems by producing high volumes of biomass and storing water. Therefore, it should be demanded that vegetable garden soils receive a high protection status, and they should not be used for the establishment of construction.

Highly Bendable and Durable Transparent Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Film Prepared by Wet Sintering of Silver Nanowires.

Electromagnetic (EM) wave emissions from wearable or flexible smart display devices can cause product malfunction and have a detrimental effect on human health. Therefore, EM shielding strategies are becoming increasingly necessary. Consequently, herein, we prepared a transparent acrylic polymer-coated/reduced graphene oxide/silver nanowire (Ag NW) (A/RGO/SANW) EM interference (EMI) shielding film via liquid-to-vapor pressure-assisted wet sintering. The film exhibited enhanced Ag NW network formation and antireflection (AR) effects. The wet-sintered Ag NW shielding film had a threshold radius of curvature (ROC) of 0.31 mm at a film thickness of 100 μm, demonstrating its high flexibility, whereas the conventional indium tin oxide (ITO) shielding film had a threshold ROC of ∼5 mm. The EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of the A/RGO/SANW multilayer film was approximately twice that of the ITO film at a similar relative transmittance (84-85%). The optical relative reflectance of the Ag NW layer was reduced due to the AR effect, and the visible-light transmittance was considerably improved owing to the different refractive indices in the multilayer shielding film. Because the acrylic coating layer had a high contact angle, the multilayer film exhibited high temperature and humidity durability with little change in the SE over 500 h at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity. The multilayer film comprising wet-sintered Ag NW exhibited high flexibility and humidity durability, high shielding performance (more than 24 dB at a relative transmittance of 85% or more), and high mass productivity, making it highly applicable for use as a transparent shielding material for future flexible devices.

Printing pressure uniformization of a roll-to-roll system using roll runout

Printed electronics refers to the technology of fabricating electronic devices by applying the printing process method to thin films. Printed electronics is regarded as a promising industry of the future because of its relatively low cost, simple process, and high mass production capacity, which are all superior to existing manufacturing methods. Roll-to-roll printing is a suitable technology for printed electronics with large-scale and high-speed mass production. To commercialize roll-to-roll printing technology, it is necessary to develop technology for position control of the web, tension control of the web, printing pressure control, and functional ink development. Among them, the printing pressure uniformization by the printing pressure control is an important factor that significantly affects the printing quality. In the roll-to-roll printing process, the functional ink is transferred by the nip generated by the printing pressure. That is, if the nip can be kept uniform by applying the printing pressure uniformly, the uniformity of the line width and thickness of the printed pattern is improved. This nip occurs on a line connecting the geometric center of the two rolls, and the centers of the two rolls are on the orbit line by each roll runout. Therefore, the print pressure can be estimated through the change in the inter-center distance of the rolls caused by the roll runout. In this study, we propose a method of printing pressure uniformization using roll runout. After establishing initial conditions that minimize change in printing pressure, load cells are used to estimate and verify the initial conditions that minimized the change in the inter-center distance of rolls, and pressure sensitive paper is used to verify whether the actual printing pressure is minimized.

High strength injection molded thermoplastic composites

The use of injection molding to impregnate fabric reinforcements and produce carbon or glass reinforced thermoplastic composites opens the way for high volume mass production at reasonable cost, high strength, and lightweight products. Variable mold temperature together with non‐standard injection parameters allows the proper impregnation of woven carbon and glass reinforcements with standard low viscosity polymers. Testing of the injected composite parts showed a clear increase in mechanical strength. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:560–567, 2018. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

Enhanced entomopathogenic nematode yield and fitness via addition of pulverized insect powder to solid media.

Abstract Beneficial nematodes are used as biological control agents. Low-cost mass production of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) is an important prerequisite toward their successful commercialization. EPNs can be grown via in vivo methods or in sold or liquid fermentation. For solid and liquid approaches, media optimization is paramount to maximizing EPN yield and quality. In solid media, the authors investigated the effects of incorporating pulverized insect powder from larvae of three insects (Galleria mellonella, Tenebrio molitor, and Lucillia sericata) at three dose levels (1, 3, and 5%). The impact of insect powder was assessed on infective juvenile (IJ) yield in solid media. Additionally, IJs produced in solid culture were subsequently assessed for virulence, and progeny production in a target insect, Spodoptera litura. The dose level of larval powder had a significant effect on IJ yield in both trials, whereas insect type had significant effect on IJ yield in trial 1 but not in trial 2. The maximum solid culture yield was observed in T. molitor powder at the highest dose in both trials. Moreover, the time-to-death in S. litura was substantially shortened in trial 1 and in trial 2 when IJs from the T. molitor powder treatment were applied. There was no significant effect of combining two insect powders relative to addition of powder from a single insect species. These findings indicate that addition of insect powder to solid media leads to high mass production yields, and the fitness of the IJs produced (e.g., in virulence and reproductive capacity) can be enhanced as well.

Micro convexity elimination of tungsten carbide in electrical discharge milling for lens moulds

Electrical discharge milling (ED milling) using spherical electrode is considered to fabricate tungsten carbide (WC) lens moulds for high volume and cost efficient mass production comparing with hemispherical electrode whose wear is noticeably larger. However, micro convexity with dome shape generating in the center of the mould leads to poor surface quality of moulds when using spherical electrode. Therefore, based on boundary layer theory, the forming mechanism of the micro convexity is analyzed in detail by measuring its height and profile by virtue of 3D laser scanning microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The relationship between the boundary layer thickness and the discharge gap is subsequently established, which can be utilized to reduce the convexity to improve the surface quality of lens mould. Then a method to eliminate the micro convexity is proposed. In addition, experiments of different discharge gaps were carried out to confirm the boundary layer theory. Results show that the height of micro convexity can be reduced to 4 μm when the discharge gap was specified to the boundary layer thickness at certain rotational speed.

Investigations on the Determinants Responsible for Low Molar Mass Dextran Formation by DSR-M Dextransucrase

Certain enzymes of the GH70 family dextransucrases synthesize very high molar mass dextran polymers, whereas others produce a mixed population of very high and low molar mass products directly from sucrose substrate. Identifying the determinants dictating polymer elongation would allow the tight control of dextran size. To explore this central question, we focus on the recently discovered DSR-M enzyme from Leuconostoc citreum NRRL B-1299, which is the sole enzyme that naturally, exclusively, and very efficiently produces only low molar mass dextrans from sucrose. Extensive biochemical and structural characterization of a truncated form of DSR-M (DSR-MΔ2, displaying the same biochemical behavior as the parental enzyme) and X-ray structural analysis of complexes with sucrose and isomaltotetraose molecules together with accurate monitoring of the resulting polymer formation reveal that DSR-MΔ2 adopts a nonprocessive mechanism attributed to (i) a high propensity to recognize sucrose as a preferred acceptor at...

Ultra-large single crystals by abnormal grain growth

Producing a single crystal is expensive because of low mass productivity. Therefore, many metallic materials are being used in polycrystalline form, even though material properties are superior in a single crystal. Here we show that an extraordinarily large Cu-Al-Mn single crystal can be obtained by abnormal grain growth (AGG) induced by simple heat treatment with high mass productivity. In AGG, the sub-boundary energy introduced by cyclic heat treatment (CHT) is dominant in the driving pressure, and the grain boundary migration rate is accelerated by repeating the low-temperature CHT due to the increase of the sub-boundary energy. With such treatment, fabrication of single crystal bars 70 cm in length is achieved. This result ensures that the range of applications of shape memory alloys will spread beyond small-sized devices to large-scale components and may enable new applications of single crystals in other metallic and ceramics materials having similar microstructural features.

Analysis of roll-stamped light guide plate fabricated with laser-ablated stamper

LGP (light guide plate) is one of the major components of LCD (liquid crystal display), and it makes surface illumination for LCD backlit. LGP is a transparent plastic plate usually produced by injection molding process. On the back of LGP there are micron size patterns for extraction of light. Recently a roll-stamping process has achieved the high mass productivity of thinner LGPs. In order to fabricate optical patterns on LGPs, a fabricating tool called as a stamper is used. Micro patterns on metallic stampers are made by several micro machining processes such as chemical etching, LIGA-reflow, and laser ablation. In this study, a roll-stamping process by using a laser ablated metallic stamper was dealt with in consideration of the compatibility with the roll-stamping process. LGP fabricating tests were performed using a roll-stamping process with four different roll pressures. Pattern shapes on the stamper fabricated by laser ablation and transcription ratios of the roll-stamping process were analyzed, and LGP luminance was evaluated. Based on the evaluation, optical simulation model for LGP was made and simulation accuracy was evaluated. Simulation results showed good agreements with optical performance of LGPs in the brightness and uniformity. It was also shown that the roll-stamped LGP has the possibility of better optical performance than the conventional injection molded LGP. It was also shown that the roll-stamped LGP with the laser ablated stamper is potential to have better optical performance than the conventional injection molded LGP.

Evidence of sub-surface energy storage in comet 67P from the outburst of 2016 July 03

On 3 July 2016, several instruments on board ESA's Rosetta spacecraft detected signs of an outburst event on comet 67P, at a heliocentric distance of 3.32 AU from the sun, outbound from perihelion. We here report on the inferred properties of the ejected dust and the surface change at the site of the outburst. The activity coincided with the local sunrise and continued over a time interval of 14 - 68 minutes. It left a 10m-sized icy patch on the surface. The ejected material comprised refractory grains of several hundred microns in size, and sub-micron-sized water ice grains. The high dust mass production rate is incompatible with the free sublimation of crystalline water ice under solar illumination as the only acceleration process. Additional energy stored near the surface must have increased the gas density. We suggest a pressurized sub-surface gas reservoir, or the crystallization of amorphous water ice as possible causes.

Structural characterization of an immunostimulating polysaccharide from the stems of a new medicinal Dendrobium species: Dendrobium Taiseed Tosnobile

Dendrobium Taiseed Tosnobile, a new Dendrobium species developed by crossbreeding Dendrobium tosaense and Dendrobium nobile, exhibits the characteristics of high mass production and high polysaccharide content. This study investigated the structural characterization and immunostimulating effects of a polysaccharide isolated from D. Taiseed Tosnobile (DTTPS). DTTPS was fractioned using a DEAE–650M column to obtain the major neutral polysaccharide (DTTPS-N). The structural characteristics of DTTPS-N were investigated through high-performance anion exchange chromatography, high-performance size exclusion chromatography, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In the immunostimulating experiment, BALB/c mice were administered DTTPS (100 and 300mg/kg) daily for 3 weeks. The results revealed that DTTPS-N comprised arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, and xylose at a ratio of 1:1.5:3.0:29.9:1.3. DTTPS-N comprised (1→3; 1→4)-Man as the backbone, and its average molecular weight was 281kDa. Pharmacological experiments demonstrated that DTTPS substantially increased the population of splenic natural killer (NK) cells, NK cytotoxicity, macrophage phagocytosis, and cytokine induction. This is the first study to demonstrate the structural characteristics and immunopharmacological effects of an active polysaccharide derived from D. Taiseed Tosnobile.

Development of multilayer imprint process for solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are fuel cells made of ceramics. To increase the SOFC energy density, we developed an SOFC with a wavy electrolyte layer. As a wavy electrolyte has a larger reaction surface area than a flat electrolyte, a higher energy density could be obtained. Our proposed process is named micro-powder imprint (µPI) with a multilayer imprint process that is useful for fabricating a microscale pattern on a ceramic sheet such as an SOFC electrolyte layer. µPI is based on nanoimprint lithography; therefore, it also exhibits the same advantages of high resolution and mass productivity. The starting material for µPI is a compound sheet containing ceramic powder and binder materials consisting of thermoplastic resin. In this study, two different sheets were stacked into one sheet as a multilayer sheet for the µPI process to form a wavy compound sheet. As the initial state of the stacked sheet, including the mechanical properties of each layer, affects the final wavy shape, we changed the material composition. As a result, the SOFCs unit cell with a wavy electrolyte was fabricated. Note that the anode layer was formed at the same time. After adding the cathode layer, we succeeded in preparing a complete cell for testing power generation.

Ultrasonic Spray Processed, Highly Efficient All-Inorganic Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes

All-inorganic and low-cost quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) are always desired considering the easy processing and outstanding physical and chemical stability of inorganic oxides. Herein, efficient all-inorganic QLEDs are demonstrated by using NiO and ZnO as the charge transport layers fabricated via ultrasonic spray processes. Excellent device performance is achieved thanks to the introduction of an Al2O3 interlayer between quantum dots (QDs) and an amorphous NiO layer. Transient photoluminescence and electricity measurements indicate that the Al2O3 layer can suppress the exciton quenching induced by the NiO layer and reduce the electron leakage from QDs to NiO. In consequence, relative to that of a device without an Al2O3 layer, the efficiency of an Al2O3-containing device is enhanced by a factor of 539%, increasing from 3.8 cd/A to 20.5 cd/A, and it exhibits color-saturated green emission (peak at 530 nm) and high luminescence (>20 000 cd/m2). These are the best performances for all-inorganic QLEDs reported to date. Meanwhile, it is demonstrated that ultrasonic spray is a feasible and cost-effective technology to construct efficient all-inorganic QLEDs. We anticipate that these results will spur the progress toward realization of high performance and mass production of all-inorganic QLEDs as a platform for QD-based full-color displays.

A simple fabrication process for disposable interdigitated electrode arrays with nanogaps for lab-on-a-chip applications

In this paper, we introduce for the first time a novel fabrication process for interdigitated electrode arrays (IDA) with nanogaps on polymer substrates. The IDA sensor for disposable lab-on-a-chip (LoC) applications employs an amperometric detection principle which allows a signal amplification by redox cycling. Our fabrication sequence is based on a lift-off free process and therefore, reduces the number of process steps and simplifies the fabrication and increases the yield. This innovative approach consists of an initial structure followed by two deposition processes. The initial structure, which is transferred into the polymer, is in the micrometer range and is formed by hot embossing. A silicon stamp is fabricated by mask aligner lithography and a subsequent dry etching step. An imprint template was prepared from the master and the structures are transferred into a 1mm thick cycle-olefin polymer (COP) sheet. A subsequent sputter deposition process was carried out to form an undercut of the finger structures, which should guarantee a separation of the electrodes. A 90nm thick gold layer was deposited by thermal evaporation to pattern the electrodes. The presented fabrication procedure represents an approach to fabricate disposable nanogap interdigitated electrode arrays allowing high signal amplifications in LoC applications. Furthermore, it demonstrates a low-cost method to fabricate IDAs with nanogaps for high volume mass production.

Review on high repetition rate and mass production of the cryogenic targets for laser IFE

In inertial fusion energy (IFE) research, a considerable attention has recently been focused on the issue of large target fabrication for MJ-class laser facilities. The ignition and high-gain target designs require a condensed uniform layer of hydrogen fuel on the inside of a spherical shell. In this report, we discuss the current status and further trends in the area of developing the layering techniques intended to produce ignition, and layering techniques proposed to high repetition rate and mass production of IFE targets.

Forage characters of different Paspalum species in Rio Grande do Sul: a meta-analysis

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate, through meta-analysis, the forage characteristics of various species of the genus Paspalum and to use them to select the best ecotypes that can be used in artificial hybridization as parents and hybrids for pasture production and natural pasture recovery systems. Data were obtained from studies conducted by the Department of Forage Plants and Agrometeorology of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Database comprised tests conducted with ecotypes and/or hybrids of Paspalum spp. in plots for evaluating total dry mass production, leaf dry mass production, and stem dry mass production by means of cuts. Total dry mass production, which included leaves and stems, differed between the ecotypes and hybrids. Hybrid H12 was the most divergent of all evaluated accessions. The greatest genetic divergence occurred due to dry mass production. Hybrids showed high total dry mass production, comprised mainly of leaves. Hybrid H12 and the accession of Paspalum lepton 28E were identified as the most dissimilar based on the generalized Mahalanobis distance using Tocher’s method. Total dry mass production is the characteristic that most contributed to the detection of genetic variability.

Improvement of Nutrition Production by Protoplast Fusion Techniques in Chlorella vulgaris

Recent decades showing remarkable development of the biotechnology of microalgae.Valuable product for food, nutrition and other applications will extend into broader area. Natural nutrition production from microalgae are not yet competitive with their synthetic levels. Chlorella is widely used as a health food and feed supplement, as well as in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Protoplast fusion was found to be an efficient method in improving its nutrition production and diversification in Chlorella vulgaris. The research was carried out by application of protoplast fusion on interspecific microalgae of C. vulgaris. The fusant was subjected for analysis of nutrition content by GCMS methods on C. vulgaris powder from 100 L liquid cultivation of fusant. The research result gained fusant in high mass production level. Nutrition analysis of fusants showed 17 amino acid with high concentration glutamic acid (14495.52 ppm) followed by leucine (10856.97 ppm) and Aspartic acid (10378 ppm). Palmitic acid (1.59%) was showed highest concentration in its lipid acid profile. Lipid analysis also showed polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) with concentration 1.0987% and DHA 0.2%. Surprisingly, the fusant also revealed Omega 9 instead of Omega 3 and Omega 6. The research result showed potential acquisition of improvement nutrition by protoplast fusian application on microalgae.

Multi-turn multi-gap transmission line resonators – Concept, design and first implementation at 4.7 T and 7 T

A novel design scheme for monolithic transmission line resonators (TLRs) is presented - the multi-turn multi-gap TLR (MTMG-TLR) design. The MTMG-TLR design enables the construction of TLRs with multiple turns and multiple gaps. This presents an additional degree of freedom in tuning self-resonant TLRs, as their resonance frequency is fully determined by the coil geometry (e.g. diameter, number of turns, conductor width, etc.). The novel design is evaluated at 4.7T and 7T by simulations and experiments, where it is demonstrated that MTMG-TLRs can be used for MRI, and that the B1 distribution of MTMG-TLRs strongly depends on the number and distribution of turns. A comparison to conventional loop coils revealed that the B1 performance of MTMG-TLRs is comparable to a loop coil with the same mean diameter; however, lower 10g SAR values were found for MTMG-TLRs. The MTMG-TLR design is expected to bring most benefits at high static field, where it allows for independent size and frequency selection, which cannot be achieved with standard TLR design. However, it also enables more accurate geometric optimization at low static field. Thereby, the MTMG-TLR design preserves the intrinsic advantages of TLRs, i.e. mechanical flexibility, high SAR efficiency, mass production, and coil miniaturization.

High Thermal Conductive Die Attach Paste Using Polymer and Micron Size Silver for Power Semiconductor Package

Abstract Power semiconductor package manufactures and electronic device suppliers have been looking for Pb-free alternative to traditional high Pb solder die attach adhesives. Lead solders have high thermal conductivity, 30–50W/mK, and known process with some difficulties in high volume mass production such as void, bond line control, and requiring reducing atmosphere such as forming gas. Lead is now categorized as hazardous substance to human body and environment and its products are scheduled to be banned within a few years. Standard silver epoxy pastes and Electrically Conductive Adhesives (ECSs) are other forms of die attach adhesives but the thermal conductivity is not adequate for Power devices. Eutectic gold-tin solder (80Au20Sn) has 57W/mK but it is high cost material. Currently Silver sintering material has become popular for electronic device because it has high thermal conductivity (150~250W/mK) by using nano silver sintering. But it requires high bonding temperature and pressure. It makes brittle bonding structure and has limitation in die size due to high stress. New silver sintering material in this paper is composed of micron size silver and organic polymer. This technology overcomes all the limitations of conventional silver epoxy, eutectic gold thin solder and silver sintering product by using the unique design of polymer composition. This new silver sintering technology using polymer and micron size silver is a cost effective solution to replace Pb solder for power device and the thermal performance is almost same as nano silver sintering products. The application process is the same as standard silver epoxy and does not require new equipment. It is a cost effective drop in solution.